Outsider Chronicles: Outside Game
by Dis Lexic
Summary: Being reborn is a pain. I thought that the new world I was in was one that would give me a great opportunity, at least for a while. That is until I realize that a Death Game is coming and my friends are inevitably going to get stuck. Then theres the Dark additions to the game I wasn't expecting. This could get really messy.
1. Chapter 1

Outsider Chronicles: Outside Game

Being reborn is a pain. Of course, I certainly have no reason to complain, being reborn into a world thats safe and not so different than my own. That is until I realize that a Death Game is coming and my friends are inevitably going to get stuck. Then theres the Dark additions to the game I wasn't expecting. This could get really messy.

 **And here we are again with another Outsider Chronicles, this time the main world is SAO, mainly because I'm rewatching it and it could be fun. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

You know something strange about being reincarnated? It gives you a chance to avoid making the same mistakes twice, but its amazing how quickly one slips back into old habits. I know this first hand. Its strange, I was never really that much of a spiritual person last time through, and yet here I am, reliving a childhood. Oh joy.

I should probably introduce myself, right? My name, in this life at least, is Shiro Takamachi, currently a 14 year old boy living in Japan in the year 2022, so that was cool. At least I got to grow up in a culture and environment different from the one I knew last time through, both location wise and time wise. Of course, just because I had experience with screwing up my life last time through, doesn't mean I learnt anything and I was just as much of a gamer geek as last time through. I guess its true what they say, that a leopard doesn't change his spots. Then again, who can blame me when VR has come so far? A chance to experience the perfected form of something that was just in its infancy last time through. Then, it happened.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

Everyone else in the room jumped at my shout.

"Whats wrong Shiro?" asked Keita, one of my friends and the pseudo leader of the Computer Club.

I didn't answer, to busy trying to figure out how in the hell I'd missed this little announcement. One of the other club members looked over my shoulder at the page I was looking at.

"Why are you surprised by this?" he asked, "SAO's been all anyone can talk about lately. I would have thought a Gamer like you would be all over it."

"Yeah well, I prefer single player stuff," I said.

"Even so, Takami and Keita have been talking about it for ages," said Tetsuo, one of the other members, "They're planning on going to que up for the hard copies when it comes out."

"What? You're gonna play it?" I gasped, spinning my chair around.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" asked Keita, "Tetsuo, Sachiko and Sasamaru are all planning to get it as well, although there sticking with the digital versions."

I stared at my friend for a moment as my brain went crazy trying to figure out what was going on, before it stalled as it came to one, inescapable conclusion. Somehow, I had apparently been reincarnated into an Anime, one where a Video game had the potential to be a lethal death trap. Add to that the fact that, with that realization, my brain synched up the faces of my friends with those belonging to characters within said Anime. Characters who die extremely early on. With that realization, my vision blurred and I passed out.

* * *

When I came to I was in the nurses office with my friends stood worriedly around me.

"Urg, what happened?" I asked as I sat up.

"You fainted out of nowhere," said Sachiko, looking at me worriedly, "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

"Dude, I can't believe you fainted!" said Sasamaru with a grin, "Seriously, how lame is that?"

My eye twitched.

"Hey Sasa, come here a sec," I said, waving a hand.

"Huh, whats up?" said Sasamaru, leaning in close.

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and tossed him across the room where he hit the wall and slid down.

"OK, I deserved that," he groaned.

"That you did," I said as everyone else chuckled.

* * *

Shortly after that, my friends left to go to class, leaving me to get some more rest under the nurse's orders. I lay still, staring up at the ceiling as I let my brain mull over this bizarre revelation. So, SAO was coming up and, if I knew my friends, they'd convince me to get the game with them. Plus, now I knew about SAO coming up, I recognized my friends as the people who would become the Moonlit Black Cats guild. You know, the one that gets wiped out and convinces Kirito to stick with being a Solo player? I couldn't in good conscience let my friends go into a dangerous situation without me.

"God damn my good nature," I muttered, covering my eyes with my hand.

I lay still for a moment, before a wrie chuckle escaped my lips.

"Why am I so surprised about SAO being in this world?" I muttered, "Considering where I live, I should be used to fucked up stuff like this. Aw well, I guess you live and learn."

With that thought, I calmed my mind and let myself slip off into sleep.

* * *

A few days later saw me staring at the loading bar as my computer installed SAO onto my Nervegear, ready for the start up of the game in a few hours.

"Remind me again why I let myself get talked into this?" I grumbled, as I tapped a finger impatiently on the desk.

I had originally planned to do everything in my power to convince my friends not to pick up the game and stay well away from the stupid thing, only to find myself being persuaded to get it myself and commit potential suicide by Video Game. I blame Sachiko's puppydog eyes

"Urg, well, if I'm going to be going into danger, I might as well get some practice in," I grumbled, spinning around in my chair to boot up my PS4 and Bloodborne.

It might not be perfect, but a Souls game is an excellent way of practicing keeping the hell away from enemies.

* * *

"Well, here goes I guess," I muttered a few hours later as I slipped on my Nervegear, "Onwards, into the Breach and hope I come out alive. Link, start!"

The world around me blurred and the system went through its checks. It took a few seconds to log in, before the world around me spun back into focus and I found myself standing in the Town of Beginnings. The first thing I did was open up the menu and, sure enough, the Logout button was missing. I sighed.

"Well, I guess we'll have to see if all that practice on Bloodborne payed off," I muttered.

I hopped off the spawn pointed and walked towards the fountain in the middle of the squire where my friends and I had made plans to meet. I sat down on the edge and looked down at my reflection in the water. Since I knew it was a waste of time, I had gone with the default setting in the character creator, which was basically you as scanned by the Nervegear. The face that looked back of me was thin and pale, with a sharp nose, slanted eyes and messy, black hair that fell down to my ears, the longest my school would allow. My eyes were two different colours, one grey and the other brown. What I was more interested in is what equipment I'd spawned with since the algorithm assigned basic gear randomly. My outfit consisted of a dark red leather waistcoat over a white shirt, black leather trousers, red leather wristbands and shiny black shoes. Around my shoulders was a black, hooded mantle. Strapped to my belt was what looked like an ordinary cane as a weapon.

"The hell," I muttered, drawing the cane, "I thought this was Sword Art Online, not Gentlemens Simulator. Why do I have a cane?"

I stood and took a stance with the odd weapon, making a few practice swings with it.

"Whoa, this is pretty cool," I said, "You know what, I think I can live with this."

"Hey!"

I stopped my practice swings and turned to see a group of players approaching me.

"Shiro, that you buddy?" asked the leader.

"I go by Jaeger in here, but yeah," I said, "So I take it your Keita?"

"Yep, using my real name as well," he said with a grin.

"You guys never were that inventive with names," I said.

"Your one to talk," said one of the players whose voice I recognized as Sasamaru, "Your avatar is identical to your real body."

"Eh, why mess with perfection?" I asked with a cocky grin.

"Whoa, arrogant much," said Tetsuo.

I just winked and gave a thumbs up.

"Question," said Takami, or Ducker as he was known as in game, "Why do you have a cane instead of a sword?"

"Hell if I know," I said, leaning on my weapon, "But I have to say, it makes me look really dapper. All I need as a hat and I'm good to go."

"Yeah man, whatever," said Tetsuo, "Come on, lets go hunt some monsters!"

"YEAH!"

Everyone started heading towards the town gates, laughing and horsing around, leaving me standing by the fountain, staring after them, my smile slipping off my face. In the weeks since I realized that the world I had been reborn into wasn't the same one as I had left, I had been having a minor existential crisis, mainly because the world was a freaking Anime. There had been a moment when I briefly thought that, since this was a fictional world, I could do what I wanted, but that idea was quickly chased out of my head. Anime or not, this world was real, my friends were real and the threat of SAO was very real. That was the reason I'd put on the rig, to use my knowledge to try and keep as many people from dieing as I could.

"Jaeger, is something wrong?"

I jumped slightly as I realized Sachi was stood in front of me, looking at me worriedly.

"No, nothing," I said, "Just...thinking. Come on, lets go."

I steeled myself, tightened my grip on my cane and marched after my friends. I'd make sure they wouldn't die. Count on it.

* * *

After a few hours in the field of hunting down Monsters and grinding EXP and Col, we found ourselves sat at the top of a cliff, staring out over the sea at the sunset.

"You know, its really hard to believe this is just a game," said Sachi, "It all seems so real."

"I know," I said, "That sunset really is amazing."

"Heh, you two lovebirds want a moment alone?" snickered Ducker, before living up to his name and ducking under the swing I took at his head.

"Well, I gotta go," said Tetsuo, getting to his feet, "Its nearly time for dinner. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

He brought up his menu.

"What the...wheres the logout?" he asked.

I took a deep breath as the others all started checking their own menus to find the missing function and began to panic.

"Calm down you lot," I said.

"CALM DOWN!?" shouted Sasamaru, "How can you be so calm?! If we can't logout, my Mom'll ground me and I won't be able to play for weeks."

"Look, its probably just a bug," I said, holding up my hands placatingly, "The GMs will have it sorted in no time."

"I hope you're right," said Sachi.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell echoed from the distance, before everything went white from the forced teleport to the plaza. I took a deep breath to prepare myself for the inevitable chaos and lent back against the wall, tugging my hood further over my head to hide my face. I tuned out Kayaba's monologue, preferring to instead find my center and ready myself for what was to come.

"...and finally," said Kayaba, drawing me out of my musing, "There is one last thing you should know. Since the Beta ended, I have added a number of hidden areas to the game on each floor. You should be weary of finding them as they are significantly more dangerous than the rest of the floor, but the rewards found there will make it well worth the risk. To those who desire to find them, I will tell you this. Seek out Bonfires and the Hunters Dream and you will find the path."

I froze. He couldn't mean... Wait. I looked down at the cane still in my hand as Kayaba's avatar dissipated and everyone began to panic. I tuned out the screaming and shouting as I examined my cane closer. As I did, I noticed grooves placed regularly down the shaft and a small switch on the handle I hadn't noticed before. Curious, I pushed the switch and the cane split apart with a loud click.

"Oh hell no!" I growled, "He didn't!"

I quickly opened up my inventory, ignoring the mirror for the moment, and checking my weapons stats.

 **Threaded Cane**

 _One of the trick weapons of a mysterious workshop, commonly used by monster hunters on their duties._

 _Sufficiently deadly as a rigid bladed cane, but also serves as a whip when its blade is split into many._

 _Concealing the weapon inside the cane and flogging the beasts with the whip is partly an act of ceremony, an attempt to demonstrate to oneself that the bloodlust of the hunt will never encroach upon their soul._

"Well, that's not good," I muttered, "If this thing is the Threaded Cane and he mentioned the Dream and Bonfires then chances are those hidden areas he mentioned are based on the Souls series."

I pushed the switch again and the Cane switched back to its Cane form.

"Welp, time to get going," I said, pushing myself off the wall and quietly making my way to the exit.

"SHIRO!"

I paused and turned to see my friends running towards me, looking panicked. Sachi especially looked scared out of her wits.

"Where the hell are you going?!" demanded Ducker.

"Well, I was going to go get a heads start on leveling up," I said.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM!?" roared Keita, "DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT KAYABA SAID?!"

"I did," I said.

My friends all stared at me.

"Dude, does anything ruffle you?" asked Sasamaru, my apparent nonchalance serving to distract them from there panic.

"As it happens, yes," I said, "You know those secret areas the nut in the red mentioned?"

"Yeah."

"If my suspicions are correct, they are a lot more dangerous than he's letting on," I said, "Have you guys ever heard of the Souls series?"

"Um, there a series of games from about ten years ago, right?" said Sachi, "My Dad told me about them. They were supposed to be really hard."

"That is an understatement," I said, "They are games of skill where you can't afford to take risks or your head will be torn off by some cosmic monstrosity."

"You've played them?" asked Tetsuo.

"Yep," I said, "And I get the feeling that Kayaba has as well because the Hunters Dream and the Bonfires both serve as the respawn points in Bloodborne and Dark Souls. Then theres this."

I flicked my wrist and activated my cane.

"The hell?" gasped Sasamaru, "Thats so cool! How come you get the cool weapons?"

"Yeah, it is cool," I said, lifting the Chain whip to my eyes, "But its also worrying."

"How so?" asked Sachi.

"This thing is a Threaded Cane," I said, "I checked the item description and its identical to the one in Bloodborne. If my suspicions are correct, then those hidden areas will be based on areas from the Souls Series."

"Is that bad?" asked Tetsuo.

"Well, since a lot of the stuff in Bloodborne is based on Lovecraft lore, what do you think?" I asked, "Seeing them on a screen can be unpleasant enough, I don't want to think about what they'll look like in photorealism!"

"Whats Lovecraft lore?" asked Sachi.

I let out a huff and lent against the wall.

"You've heard of Cthulhu?" I asked, "You know, the massive, planet destroying Old God who turns people's minds to mush simply by seeing it? Thats Lovecraft's work."

My friends all paled at that. I took a breath and pushed off the wall.

"Look guys, I'm gonna head off on my own for a bit," I said, "I want to see if I can find one of those hidden areas to confirm whether or not they are based on the Souls Games. You guys stick together for now and stay in one piece."

"What? No, we're coming with you!" protested Keita.

"Yeah, if you're going into danger, we're coming to!" said Sasamaru.

"Not on your life!" I snapped.

Everyone flinched back at my out of character snapping.

"Sorry," I said, taking a deep breath to calm down, "Look, you guys have no idea how hard core the Souls games are. I've played and completed them all, but I'm leery of going after these secret areas. I want to see if they actually are what I think so I can warn people away until they are high enough level to deal with them."

"Meanwhile you are going in as you are," said Keita, "Great plan."

"Look jackass, I know its far from a good idea, but if I don't do this and someone gets hurt because they overextended themselves, I'd never forgive myself!"

"You and your hero complex," grumbled Keita, "You never could just sit back and watch other people being hurt."

I just flipped him off.

"Alright, fine, we'll do as you say," said Keita, "But, you'd better come back. It won't be the same without you."

"Heh, you guys better survive as well," I said, "Until then, I'll see you around."

Keita and I bumped fists with a grin, before I turned on my heel and walked away into the dark city, leaving the panicking masses behind.

 **And with that I'm done. I hope you liked it. As you can probably tell, the crossovers here are obvious. I really like the Souls Games and have been wanting to do a story set in one of those worlds for so long. This obviously isn't that world, but it does have elements of it.**

 **Obviously, Shiro's friends are the Black Cats Kirito makes friends with. They won't be dying this time though, not with a friend like Shiro.**

 **I have a few other ideas in mind for potential crossovers that'll play on the fact that Kayaba is from the same generation as me and likely grew up with the same games. That'll be fun to play with.**

 **What reason does Shiro have for being used to weird shit happening? You'll have to wait and find out.**

 **And I'm done. Please leave a review on your way out.**


	2. Chapter 2

Outsider Chronicles: Outside Game

Being reborn is a pain. Of course, I certainly have no reason to complain, being reborn into a world thats safe and not so different than my own. That is until I realize that a Death Game is coming and my friends are inevitably going to get stuck. Then theres the Dark additions to the game I wasn't expecting. This could get really messy.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

It had been a month since the start of the Death Game that was SAO and in that time, I hadn't really spent that much time around other players, instead I had been trying to find the Secret Areas Kayaba had mentioned. I wasn't really having very much luck, but I did manage to boost my Agility Skill by a ton thanks to my inherited Bloodborne strategy of 'dodge, dodge and dodge some more'. However, eventually I managed to find a clue. Unfortunately, that clue confirmed my worst fear as I stumbled on a ruined castle infested with Undead mobs that were about 10 levels higher than practically every single other mob on the Floor.

"FUCKING HELL!" I yelped as I rolled out of the way of a Hollow's strike.

With a flick of my wrist, my Cane switched forms and wrapped around the Monsters neck. With a quick flick of my wrist, the sharp chain tightened and decapitated the Monster, causing it to dissolve into grey smoke.

"God damn it, I was afraid of this," I growled as my level jumped two levels.

Like I mentioned earlier, the monsters in this area, which looked a lot like Undead Burg, were much higher than their fellows and dealt a ton of damage, with one of them nearly one shotting me when I wasn't quick enough to dodge. Fortunately, they also had relatively low health and armour values, which made killing the stupid things a lot easier. If you knew your Dark Souls strategies. If not, you were likely gonna overextend and die horribly.

I let out a huff and tapped my Cane on the ground, switching it back to Cane form as I turned away from the Undead infested ruins and pulled a teleport crystal out of my pocket. I had what I needed, time to head back.

"Teleport, Tolbana!" I said.

There was a tug behind my navel and I vanished in a flash of blue light.

I reappeared in a picturesque little village on the first floor where a large number of players were gathered, using it as a base to explore the dungeon in an attempt to find the Boss Room. I walked through the town, pausing at the noticeboard that held a flyer informing players about a meeting at the plaza at noon.

"Thats probably about the boss battle," I muttered, "Guess I'll go."

I glanced at my clock and saw that I still had some time, so I took a seat on a bench and brought up my inventory. My time in the Danger Zones had netted me a number of levels and quite a bit of gear. Most of it was rubbish, just Hollow Armour that I'd be able to sell for a few Gil, but I did get some interesting stuff. Like a real cool tricorn hat with a feathered, a high collared armoured coat, leather gloves with bracers and matching trousers.

"How did I even find this stuff in a place based on Lordaeron?" I grumbled as I equiped the Hunter Garb.

"Thats some nice gear."

"GAH!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unexpected voice, instinctively swinging my cane at the head of whoever had snuck up on me. They ducked under the clumsy swing and took a few steps back, holding their hands up in surrender.

"Whoa, easy there, I didn't mean to scare you," said the player.

I took a breath, calming my heartbeat as I remembered that this was a safe zone and I couldn't be hurt. Once calm enough, I took a proper look at the person I had attacked. She was a small, nimble-looking girl, with brown eyes and curly auburn hair. She was wearing a set of full-body cloth and leather armour, a hooded cloak and had whiskers painted on her face. Hanging from her belt was a pair of sharp looking claws and a number of metal spikes.

"Sorry about that," I said, "I just got back from one of those Secret Areas and I've been on edge ever since."

"What? You mean you found one of the secret areas?" gasped the girl, her eyes wide and shining, "Where?"

I started at her.

"Your an Info Broker, aren't you?"

"I am. Names Argo, Argo the Rat. Now spill!"

I let out a sigh and slumped back down on the bench.

"I'm not to sure thats a good idea," I said.

"Whys that?"

"Because those secret areas are a lot, lot harder than anywhere else I've been," I said, "You can get a crapton of Exp and Col there and the gear is incredible, but even the basic Mobs and kill you in two hits. They don't take much to kill, but if you get swarmed or go in half cocked, you will die."

Argo stared at me.

"Please tell me you're kidding," she said.

I just gave her a flat look.

"Fine, your not kidding," she muttered, "So does that mean you're not going to give me the intel?"

I sighed and brought up my menu.

"I'll give it to you since its only fair, but make sure that anyone you sell it to knows the risks."

"Will do," said Argo, "If its as bad as you say, I won't be sending just anyone that way."

"Fair enough. As for payment, would you be willing to forwards any future info you get on secret areas to me?"

Argo hesitated. She was an info broker and basically made her living on selling information to people, so the idea of giving up info for free probably rankled her. After a few moments, she sighed.

"Alright, fine," she said, "Locations only."

"Fair enough."

I hit the button and sent the information to Argo and adding her to my friend list, before getting to my feet.

"And with that, I'm off," I said.

"You're going to the meeting?" asked Argo.

"Yep."

"Well then, best of luck to you then," said Argo, "Hope I'll see you around."

She headed off in the opposite direction as I made my way towards the plaza. I arrived just before the meeting started and took a seat at the top tier of the stairs, resting my cane across my knees as Diavel began the meeting. I listened to the blue haired swordsman's explanation of how he found the boss room and all of the plans to give people hope. Then he brought up the plan to use multiple parties and I paled under my collar. I'd forgotten about that. Fortunately, Kirito and Asuna were sat nearby, so I got to my feet and headed over to them.

"Hey there, you guys need another guy?" I asked as I took a seat behind the future couple.

"Um, sure," said Kirito, eyeing me up and down, "But are you sure you want to come along? That gear doesn't look very good."

I smiled behind my collar and pushed my hat up with the tip of my finger.

"It may not look like much, but this stuff is pretty good," I said, "Trust me, I'll be fine."

"Well, if you're sure…" said Kirito, bringing up his menu and sending me a party invite.

"My names Jaeger by the way," I said, holding out my hand.

"Kirito, nice to meet you," said Kirito, shaking my hand.

"Asuna," was all Asuna said.

"Great, lets all be friends and come out of this madness in one piece," I said.

"Alright, looks like everyone's teamed up," said Diavel, "Now then lets…"

"Hold on a sec!" shouted a voice I really hoped I wouldn't have to hear.

Everyone turned to see the spiky haired form of Kibaou. I'd have to nip this morons power grab at the bud. The orange haired future dictator hopped down and started his rant about Beta players. Once he stopped for breath, I stood up and cleared my throat.

"If I can get a word in edgeways," I said, drawing all attention to me.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be," sneered Kibaou.

"My name is Jaeger and I think you're being a little unfair," I said.

"Whats that supposed to mean?"

"You seem to have forgotten that the Betas are in the exact same position as the rest of us," I said, "While it is true that they have more experience, that advantage will vanish as time goes on. Not only that, but there are things that are different between the full game and the Beta, thats just how game development works. Besides…"

I pulled out my copy of the guide.

"It was a former Beta player who put this together. It contains everything you need to know about the game, all the best hunting spots, tips on how to survive and train your stats, everything. Considering that, can you honestly say they've just left the rest of us in the dust. Finally, you do realize that there are probably some Beta's still back at the Town of Beginning, scared out of their wits?"

"What?" growled Kibaou, "Why would Beta's do that? They know all the ins and outs of this damn game!"

"True, but they played it when it was a game," I said, "And they took it up because they thought it would be a fun pastime, not a God damned Death Trap! Even those who have hours of experience will crumble if they are suddenly placed in a situation where fucking up means you die, permanently! The fact you want to put the blame of the deaths of all those people onto the shoulders of people who likely either did everything in there power to prevent them or are as scared as the rest of us is quite frankly sickening!"

"Why you…!"

"Whoa now, thats enough you two!" said Agil, getting to his feet.

At the sight of the intimidating black man, Kibaou quickly backed down.

"My apologies," I said, "I didn't mean to lose my temper. Before I sit down though, I want to say one more thing."

"Alright, the floor is yours," said Diavel.

I nodded.

"I'm guessing that you're getting the info you have on the boss from the guidebook, right?" I asked.

"Thats right," said Diavel.

"That may be a bad idea," I said, "That information came from the Beta. Its entirely possible that things have changed in this full release. He may have new attack patterns, different weapons, or hell, it may be an entirely different boss for all we know. Kayaba did say that he had made changes since the Beta after all."

"Thats...actually a very good point," said Diavel, "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Make it so that any plans we make are flexible, expect the unexpected and whatever you do, don't over extend," I said, "When we fight the boss, keep as mobile as you can until we know its attack patterns and even then stay on your toes. Finally, we should split our forces in half, one to take on the boss, the other to stay back and be ready to jump in at a moment's notice."

"Why should we do what you say?" sneered Kibaou, "I bet you're a Beta Tester, aren't you?"

"Nope, I'm just good at strategy," I said.

"Don't start that again you two," said Diavel, "Jaeger, your plan is as good as any, so we'll use that. Any objections?"

There was a low rumble of consent from everyone while Kibaou just pouted.

"In that case, we'll meet up to begin the attack at 10 in the morning! Meeting adjourned!"

Everyone separated, going off to do their own thing to prepare for the upcoming battle. For me, that meant making sure all my gear was where I needed it and that I had plenty of healing items. In addition to my armour, I'd also acquired a number of useful items from the Undead Merchant that I'd found in the Secret Area. That place really was almost identical to Undead Burg and I have a nasty feeling that it even came with the boss. I'd have to see if I can find that Black Knight and snag his sword once we were done with the Floor One Boss. I love my Threaded Cane, but the Black Knights Sword was always my go to weapon while playing the original Dark Souls.

"Hey, mind if we join you?"

I looked up from my inventory to see Kirito and a still cloaked Asuna stood nearby.

"Sure, not a problem," I said, indicating to the bench across from me.

The future couple took the offered seat and the three of us fell into a comfortable silence. Kirito and Asuna were quietly eating their dinner while I repacked my equipment in my inventory.

"Hey Jaeger, can I ask you something?" asked Asuna.

"Shoot," I said.

"Why do you use a cane? I mean, it can't be that effective as a weapon, right? If you want to use a blunt weapon, wouldn't a mace or something be better?"

Kirito looked up, clearly curious as well.

"You may be right, but my Threaded Cane is rather special," I said, drawing my weapon.

"Whats so special about it?" asked Kirito.

I smirked and flicked my wrist. My Party members let out a yelp as the bladed whip shot out and sliced through a bush behind them.

"W-w-what the hell?" gasped Kirito, staring at the whip wide eyed as I spun it around a few times then switched it back to Cane form, "I've never even heard of a weapon that can change its form before! And Whips are really rare weapons, no one uses them."

"I know, and I spawned with this thing," I said, "I think their called Trick Weapons, although I have no idea where to actually find the stupid things."

"Does it have any special abilities?" asked Asuna, looking intrigued.

"In its whip form, it deals extra damage against beast type enemies," I said, "Hopefully that'll come in handy in the boss fight."

I slipped my cane back into my belt and flipped to my feet.

"Well, I guess its time to head to the inn," I said, "I suggest you two rest up to. Its gonna be a big day tomorrow."

I waved to the future couple and headed off towards the inn where I'd rented a room for the night.

 **And with that I'm done. Next time, the first boss and its gonna be a bit of a surprise. Until then, please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Outsider Chronicles: Outside Game

Being reborn is a pain. Of course, I certainly have no reason to complain, being reborn into a world thats safe and not so different than my own. That is until I realize that a Death Game is coming and my friends are inevitably going to get stuck. Then theres the Dark additions to the game I wasn't expecting. This could get really messy.

 **And we're back. Nothing to add here, so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

The next day dawned bright and early with the large group of gathered players heading out and into the dungeon. There was an obvious air of nervousness about the group as this was the first boss we had fought and everyone was wondering if we'd be able to win or if we'd all be killed. I was also worried, but not for any obvious reason. I knew that if the boss was Illfang, we'd be able to win without any trouble. However, a gut feeling was telling me that things weren't going to be that simple. Something very dangerous was waiting for is behind those doors and it was going to be my hardest fight yet.

* * *

It took about an hour to beat our way through the dungeon and gather at the doors. Immediately I could see something was different about them. Instead of solid doors, they were massive gates made of what looked like black iron that was ice cold to the touch. They also looked rather out of place beside the generally pleasant environment of the first floor.

"Alright everyone, you know the plan," called Diavel, "And remember, no heroics. I want everyone to be going home in one piece, got it?"

"YEAH!"

"Then lets go!"

The blue haired warrior turned and pushed the door open, leading the raid group into the arena. As soon as I laid eyes on the room, I felt the blood drain from my face. Apparently, I had been right about the boss being different, but it wasn't a simple case of a different weapon. The empty throne room I was expecting was gone, replaced instead by a gloomy graveyard with a dead tree in the middle and low lying fog curling over the dirt ground. However, that wasn't what scared me. Oh no, that was the figure stood in the middle of the chamber, repeatedly slamming his axe into an already mangled body.

"Shit, thats not good," I hissed.

I darted forwards and grabbed Diavel before he could cross the threshold.

"Wait, we can't pick a fight yet," I said.

"What? Why not?" asked the Knight.

"Because that guy is going to be a nightmare to beat," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know something about this guy?" asked Agil.

"I do," I said, "His name is Father Gascoigne. The last time I saw him was right before I put on the Nervegear while playing Bloodborne. Hes the first boss in the game and a right pain in the neck to beat. When you can die and try again later."

"Any advice?" asked Kirito, who had been listening in.

"Yeah, don't get hit," I grumbled.

"Hey, whats the hold up?!" shouted Kibou.

"Theres been a change of plans," I said, "Now I've seen the boss, I have some info everyone needs to know."

"What info?" demanded Kibou suspiciously, "And how do you know it?"

"Apparently Kayaba didn't worry about copyright laws, not when he now has murder, kidnapping and terrorist charges on his head," I said, "The first boss is one from another game."

A low murmur of surprise erupted from the raid group.

"What game?" asked someone.

"Bloodborne," I said, "The boss inside is the first boss of the game, Father Gascoigne. If this guy is anything like the one in Bloodborne, we are in some deep shit."

"No kidding," said one of the older members of the raid, a fellow with a warhammer who was now going pale, "I remember the Souls games, they were hard as nails!"

"We can't afford to back down," said Diavel, "Hard or not, we have to get past this boss and move on if we want any chance of escaping this hell. Who's with me!"

"YEAH!" shouted nearly everyone.

I sighed.

"Well, I wasn't about to just cut and run anyway," I said, "Alright, heres what you need to know from my knowledge. Keep in mind this might not be totally accurate considering the difference between traditional gaming and VR gaming."

I began telling the other Raid members everything I knew about the demented Hunter, from battle tactics to the change of form once he reached half health.

"The final thing is probably irrelevant, but I'll mention it anyway," I said as I wrapped up, "In Bloodborne, you could acquire a music box from the guys daughter that would stun him for a few seconds if used."

"A music box?" asked Asuna, sounding surprised.

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?" I asked.

"No, but...I got a quest in the village," she said, "It was from a little girl NPC who asked me to find her mother. She said this would help me."

The Rapier user opened her inventory and pulled out a music box.

"Thats it," I said in surprise, "Thats the Music box!"

I grinned.

"Well now, it looks like things are starting to look up," I said, "Alright folks, heres the plan! I want everyone with shields to be at the front and ready to defend everyone else. Speed type fighters, take potshots at him when you're able and watch out for his Blunderbuss. If he shoots you with that while your attacking, you'll be a sitting duck. Asuna, if it looks like hes about to overwhelm someone, use the Box. Be warned though, if you use it three times, he'll transform however much health he has left."

I stepped up to the doors and drew my cane.

"Alright, thats everything I know," I said, "I won't blame you if you decide to back out now. But for those willing to follow me into battle, lets go beat us a boss!"

"HELLS YEAH!" roared the raid party, smashing their weapons together.

I turned and kicked the door open and we all stormed in, quickly forming into ranks around the edge of the room while leaving plenty of room to manoeuvre. Since I knew the most about dealing with the Boss, I was on the front along with Agil, Kirito and Diavel.

"Beasts all over the shop," said Gascoigne as he stopped chopping the pile of meat at his feet, "You lot'll be joining them soon."

He turned his head, revealing his covered eyes and exhaled a cloud of mist.

"Not if I can help it," I said, "Bring it on you crazy bastard!"

Gascoigne let out a howl and leaped forwards, his name and health bars appearing as he did. He had two, so he'd probably switch forms after we took down one. A flick of my wrist and a twist of my foot had me evading the strike and retaliating with one of my own, smacking off a sliver of his health. I bent back, evading another swing from his axe, before stepping to the side to dodge a shot from his blunderbuss. At the same time, the other raid members moved in and started their own attacks, forcing the boss onto the defencive, although he still gave as good as he got, causing huge amounts of damage with every hit, forcing the fighters to back off to heal and replace with other fighters. Twice Asuna used the Music Box to stun the Boss in order to save one of the party members that over extended and nearly got flattened. Once we knocked off a quarter of his first health bar, he extended his axe and getting close to the bastard became a real chore.

Then, we knocked off the last part of his health bar. To my surprise, he didn't transform, in fact, he seemed to get weaker, taking more damage from our attacks, although his damage output didn't change. The lack of transformation seemed to invigorate everyone and we upped out attacks. The Raid seemed to be getting excited over the idea of defeating the first boss and I couldn't help but notice that they were beginning to take more risks than they should. Fortunately, no one had been killed yet, but I could see it was only a matter of time. Then, we got him down to a sliver of health and Diavel broke away from the group.

"I've got him!" he shouted, charging Gascoigne as the bosses health reached 25%.

As soon as it did, the Boss stopped and hunched over, bulking up slightly. My eyes widened as I realized what had happened.

"NO DIAVEL, DON'T!" I shouted, holding out my hand as if to stop him.

Unfortunately, I was on the other side of the arena to the Knight and there was no way I'd be able to reach him in time to save his neck as Gascoigne threw back his now wolfish head and howled, lashing out at the incoming Diavel with his claws. Everything seemed to slow down as the blue haired Warrior's death came close and the only thing running through my mind was how I had already failed in my self appointed mission to prevent as many deaths as I could.

Then, just as the Boss was about to claw Diavel to death, I felt something around me twist and my head throbbed dully. My fingertips glowed light blue and a beam of light shot out, forming into a solid wall in front of Diavel in less time than it took to blink, Gascoigne's claws sparking off it as if it was made of metal rather than light. For a second, everything went totally still as all eyes turned to me, including the Bosses, who somehow managed to look completely stupefied, despite being a program.

"W-what the hell!?" I gasped, "H-how'd I…"

Before I could finish the thought, the tableau was broken by Gascoigne as the Boss gave a howl and dove at me. More out of instinct than anything, I brought my arm around and light once again gathered at my fingertips, forming into a wall once more that the Boss slammed into, creating a perfect opening for Kirito to remove his head from behind, killing him. Everything was still and silent for a moment as the boss shattered, before a loud voice suddenly cut through the dark environment of the graveyard.

"What the hell was that?!" shouted Kibaou, "I thought magic didn't exist in this game!"

I ignored both him and the murmuring that erupted from the Raid, instead staring down at my hands. That...shouldn't have been possible. Then again…

"The NerveGear is basically hooked directly into our brains," I said outloud, drawing the attention of the Raid party members, "That means that, hypothetically, it could have replicated my Personal Reality and, as a result, allow me to use my abilities here…"

I stood and held out my hands. My fingers shone briefly, before a cube of blue appeared between my palms.

"Huh, thats useful to know," I said.

"Wait a sec, I know that ability," said Diavel, staring at the box in shock, "Thats Hard Light! Your an Esper!"

I blinked.

"Yes, thats right," I said.

"B-but the only person with that ability is Shi-glumph!"

I jumped across the arena and clamped both hands over Diavel's mouth before he could spill my name.

"Spill my name and I'll trap you in a box until we get to floor 50!" I hissed.

Diavel gulped and nodded.

"G-got it Senpai," he said once I'd removed my hands.

"Wait, you're younger than him?" asked Asuna, looking between the two of us.

"No, I'm technically his Upperclassman, but Sh-Jaeger's a lot stronger than me," said Diavel, catching my glare and the light box I was tossing up and down.

I sighed as everyone turned their gaze to me.

"Yes, I'm a Level 4 Esper, whoop de doo," I said, "Can we deal with this later? I don't really want to see if the boss'll respawn if we wait to long."

The box in my hand shattered as I turned to the door.

"The fact I'm an Esper is irrelevant," I said, "We're all in this together and if we want to get out of here, we'll need to work together. We've beaten one boss, but we still have another 99 left to go."

I walked through the doors leading up to the second floor.

Yes, I was indeed an Esper attending school in Academy City, which is the main reason why I thought I shouldn't be entirely surprised about SAO showing up, although as far as I knew nothing had happened from the story of the Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun. That might be because I just hadn't reached that point in the timeline though. This discovery that I could use my ability in the game was an interesting one. It was called Hard Light and allowed me to create basic constructs out of photons. I couldn't create anything mega complex, but geometric shapes had plenty of uses. Besides, my constructs were nearly indestructible land lasted for ages so long as I kept shoring up their structural integrity. It saved a lot on furniture costs when I could just make what I wanted out of light.

"Aw hell, my place is gonna be a mess when I get out of here!" I said.

I shook my head to rid myself of that thought. A mess apartment could be dealt with at a later date. What was bothering me more was, not that I could use Hard Light, but that it worked against the Monsters. Simply being able to use the ability was irrelevant as, if it wasn't part of the games program, it shouldn't be able to interact with the world properly. However, I had managed to block an attack with it.

"Hmm, I wonder," I mumbled, bringing up my skill list.

It was rather barren, consisting of just my skill level with my Cane and whip, along with a couple of basic Sword Skills and supplementary skills. I scrolled down the list, only to find one labeled Hard Light that listed as Level 4.

"Oh, thats why," I said, "If the Cardinal System can create new quests using the Net, I guess the idea of it being able to get the data on my power from the Academy City net wasn't impossible.

Or maybe it got it from my brainwaves. Either way, it was largely irrelevant. I could use my power and I imagined that any other Esper trapped in here probably could as well.

"Man, learning that makes me wish I knew Misaka enough to invite her along," I muttered, "Railgun sure would be handy."

I shook my head as I finally reached the top of the staircase where a massive pair of double doors awaited me. I straightened my hat and pushed the doors open, taking the first step onto the second floor of Aincrad.

 **And there we go, thats the end of this chapter. So, the first effect of the Outsider effect has appeared. Or maybe that should be second? Anyway, obviously the other cross is A Certain Magical Index and Shiro is diving out of Academy city. Of course, that means his friends are as well.**

 **I don't think its that crazy that Espers would be able to use their powers in a VR game when Kirito's reflexes gave him his Dual Wielding skill and the abilities come from their brains and mind rather than the body.**

 **Speaking of Espers, I need ideas for Shiro's friends abilities. Nothing higher than rank three, or rank four if I like the idea enough.**

 **On that note, Shiro is the same age as Touma, so the Index events won't be happening until they get out.**

 **And with that I'm done. And I'm finally gonna post this story! Until next time, please leave me a review!**


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